Cognitive psychology worksheet with answers

Free printable Cognitive psychology worksheet: 8 problems from easy to exam level, with an answer key. Print it or save it as a PDF.

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Name: ____________________   Date: ____________

1.Easy

In categorisation research, a prototype is:

  1. AThe most typical member or average example of a category
  2. BThe first example of a category that a child learns in early life
  3. CA strict list of features every member must have
  4. DA rare and unusual member of a category
2.Easy

The smallest unit of sound in a language that can change the meaning of a word is a:

  1. ASyllable
  2. BMorpheme
  3. CPhoneme
  4. DGrapheme
3.Easy

Which of these is a binocular depth cue?

  1. ARetinal disparity
  2. BInterposition
  3. CLinear perspective
  4. DTexture gradient
4.Medium

People recall more words from a list of short words (e.g. "cat, sun") than from a list of long words. The usual explanation is that:

  1. AShort words are held in iconic memory as well as acoustically
  2. BLong words cause retroactive interference with earlier items
  3. CLong words are processed more deeply and so crowd each other out
  4. DShort words take less time to rehearse in the phonological loop
5.Medium

In the Brown–Peterson task, participants count backwards by threes after seeing a trigram such as "KTR". The main finding was that:

  1. ARecall stayed almost perfect even after 18 seconds of counting
  2. BRecall fell sharply within about 18 seconds without rehearsal
  3. CCounting backwards made the trigrams easier to remember
  4. DOnly the first letter of each trigram tended to be forgotten
6.Medium

A student who studied while drinking coffee recalls more when tested after drinking coffee. This illustrates:

  1. AFlashbulb memory
  2. BState-dependent memory
  3. CThe spacing effect
  4. DThe serial position effect
7.Hard

Countries where people are organ donors unless they opt out have far higher donor rates than countries where people must opt in. This is best explained by:

  1. AThe sunk cost fallacy
  2. BBelief bias in moral reasoning about donation
  3. CThe availability heuristic
  4. DThe default effect and status quo bias
8.Hard

A participant solves anagrams faster after seeing related words briefly, without being aware of them. This is an example of:

  1. APriming
  2. BInterference
  3. CRehearsal
  4. DChunking

Answer key

  1. 1. A · The most typical member or average example of a category
  2. 2. C · Phoneme
  3. 3. A · Retinal disparity
  4. 4. D · Short words take less time to rehearse in the phonological loop
  5. 5. B · Recall fell sharply within about 18 seconds without rehearsal
  6. 6. B · State-dependent memory
  7. 7. D · The default effect and status quo bias
  8. 8. A · Priming

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